Performing Surgery With a Meat Cleaver

On Sunday 3/21/2010 our government passed one of the most revolutionary pieces of legislation in the history of our country. Arguably, this is the furthest step away from the constitution that we have ever taken. While the constitution and the founding principles of our nation are the celebrity victims of this legislation; they remain the beginning of a very long list of casualties.

When the fog of war fades and the sun rises on peacetime, many countries build a single monument to “the unknown soldier.” This memorial serves as reminder that not everyone comes home from war, living or deceased. Today, we must erect that monument and remember what we have lost during this fight; specifically, the process of crafting and voting on legislation. Of course, according to Washington incumbents, we Americans don’t care about the process, right?

Crafting legislation is serious business which we can equate to surgery. It requires a problem or issue, knowledgeable people who can diagnose the problem and craft a solution, and finally the proper tools to implement the solution. We must take care that our actions actually solve the problems facing us. We must also measure those actions against the barometer of the constitution. Washington has failed in performing this operation; the patient (health care) is worse off than when we started.

Washington incumbents have been chanting a dangerous mantra, “We have to start somewhere.” We’re being sold the idea that while this legislation isn’t perfect, it’s a starting point, and we MUST start somewhere. That’s like your doctor screaming that we MUST operate now, grabbing a meat cleaver, and hacking away. Our leaders need to be calm, confident that the solutions measure up to the expectations of our founders, and the demands of our constitution. They need to pick up the scalpel and make precise incisions to complete the surgery in as few steps as possible.

Twice American means first choosing the right tool, and second wielding it with practiced precision.